Terms of use

A Terms of Use agreement is a legally binding agreement between a user and a website/app that dictates how a user may use your platform.

This means when a user agrees to the terms, they are legally bound to follow the rules and regulations in the terms.

Unlike a Privacy Policy, which is legally required by multiple laws (and some operating systems, i.e., iOS), a Terms of Use Agreement is not a legal requirement.

While you aren't legally required to have a Terms of Use agreement, you should treat it as a must. Here are a few reasons why:

• If a user misuses the service or violates the terms, your company is legally able to delete or suspend the user's account.
• It states your company's rules and regulations that a user must follow if they want to continue to use your service.
• It lets you define what users can upload or add to your app. This is especially important for apps that are based on user contributions such as Twitter and Reddit.
• You are able to determine what laws will govern the agreement and how any potential issues between a user and your company will be resolved.
• It allows you to protect your intellectual property rights. It helps protect your company from those attempting to misuse or steal your copyright, trademark, logo, or brand name.

A note to remember is that a Terms of Use is also referred to as Terms of Service or Terms & Conditions and can be used interchangeably.